FOR THE RECORD: 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m freestyle); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (200m freestyle); 2019 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (200m freestyle); 2017 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (200m freestyle); 2015 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (200m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay); 2013 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (200m freestyle); 2011 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (200m freestyle, 400m freestyle); 2009 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (200m freestyle, 400m freestyle); 2007 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): bronze (200m freestyle); 2005 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (200m freestyle); 2018 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): bronze (4x100m medley relay); 2016 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (200m freestyle), silver (4x100m freestyle relay), bronze (4x50m freestyle relay); 2014 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): bronze (4x100m freestyle relay); 2010 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): bronze (400m freestyle); 2006 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): silver: (200m freestyle), bronze (400m freestyle).
For some countries, identifying the greatest swimmer of all time can be difficult. For Italy, there is only one correct answer: Federica Pellegrini.
Over nearly two decades, Pellegrini reigned as one of the greatest middle-distance freestylers the sport has seen, the 200m freestyle being her pet event. During her illustrious career, Pellegrini continually flourished under pressure, as evidenced by the 64 medals she claimed in international competition.
Pellegrini first broke out on the global scene at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she claimed the silver medal in the 200m freestyle behind Romania’s Camelia Potec. From that point forward, her name became synonymous with the event, with more than half of her individual medals on the international stage arriving over four laps of freestyle.
When Pellegrini earned the silver medal in the 200m freestyle at the 2005 FINA World Championships, no one could predict it would jumpstart one of the greatest streaks in swimming lore. From 2005-2019, Pellegrini never finished off the podium in the 200m freestyle at the FINA World Championships, a stretch that saw her capture four gold medals, three silver medals, and a bronze medal.
“It’s really the kind of love that we call in Italy, ‘Amore,’” Pellegrini once said of her affinity for the 200m freestyle. “It’s something that is special and something really deep. And every season and every year, I want to be my best in that race.”
Nicknamed “La Divina” and “The Lioness of Verona,” Pellegrini was the bronze medalist in the 200m freestyle at the 2007 FINA World Championships and entered the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing as a leading contender for gold in the 200m and 400m freestyle. After finishing fifth in the final of the 400m freestyle, despite being the world-record holder, Pellegrini rebounded in dynamic fashion.
In the preliminaries of the 200m freestyle, held just a few hours after her disappointment in the 400m freestyle, Pellegrini set a world record of 1:55.45. She took that standard lower in the final, cementing her Olympic title with a time of 1:54.82.
During her career, Pellegrini established nine world records in the long-course pool, six in the 200m freestyle and three in the 400m freestyle. Her final world record in the 200m freestyle, the 1:52.98 that won her the 2009 world championship, endured for nearly 14 years. Meanwhile, her final world record in the 400m freestyle, a 3:59.15, lasted five years and made Pellegrini the first woman to break the four-minute barrier in the event.
As a testament to her desire, Pellegrini won gold in the 200m freestyle at the last two editions of the FINA World Championships in 2017 and 2019. She was also the world champion in the 400m freestyle in 2009 and 2011.
“She’s got an immense amount of respect poolside,” said Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington of Pellegrini. “You get these athletes that everybody likes, everybody warms to, and everybody looks up to and respects and kind of is a role model. I think she is one of those. Everybody is just a little bit in awe of her to be honest.”